1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to integrated circuit (IC) test fixtures and, more particularly, to a universal socketless test fixture using a curve tracer and an associated conversion device to supply fixture test signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
As noted in U.S. Pat. No. 7,554,206, it is valuable to test the electrical connections between the sockets of an IC in order to identify poor connections and defective active circuitry. IC devices have evolved from through-board pins to the surface mounting of a device to a socket and PCB. The input and output contacts of an IC chip are generally disposed in grid-like patterns that substantially cover a surface of the device or in elongated rows which may extend parallel to and adjacent each edge of the device's front surface, or in the center of the front surface. Typically, devices such as chips must be physically mounted on a substrate such as a printed circuit board, and the contacts of the device must be electrically connected to electrically conductive features of the circuit board.
For example, surface mounted packages commonly include a dielectric element, commonly referred to as a “chip carrier” with terminals formed as plated or etched metallic structures on the dielectric. These terminals are typically connected to the contacts of the chip itself by features such as thin traces extending along the chip carrier itself and by fine leads or wires extending between the contacts of the chip and the terminals or traces. In a surface mounting operation, the package is placed onto a circuit board so that each terminal on the package is aligned with a corresponding contact pad on the circuit board. Solder or other bonding material is provided between the terminals and the contact pads. The package can be permanently bonded in place by heating the assembly so as to melt or “reflow” the solder or otherwise activate the bonding material.
Semiconductor chips are commonly provided in packages that facilitate handling of the chip during manufacture and during mounting of the chip on an external substrate such as a circuit board or other circuit panel. An IC that is designed to be surface mounted has pads, or flat conductive discs, on its packaging. Many packages include solder masses in the form of solder balls, typically about 1.0 mm and about 0.8 mm (40 mils and 30 mils) in pitch, and 0.4 to 0.5 mm in diameter, attached to the terminals of the package. A package having an array of solder balls projecting from its bottom surface is commonly referred to as a ball grid array or “BGA” package. For a BGA device there are solder bumps on the pads for connection with a BGA socket. The solder bumps typically fit into grips on a BGA socket for connection to a PCB. Other packages, referred to as land grid array or “LGA” packages are secured to the substrate by thin layers or lands (pads) formed from solder. The pads of an LGA require a socket containing springs or some other type of conductive trace to connect the device to the PCB.
In testing packaged devices, it is necessary to make temporary connections between the terminals of the packaged device and a test fixture, and operate the device through these connections to assure that the device is fully functional. Ordinarily, these temporary connections must be made without bonding the terminals of the package to the test fixture. It is important to assure that all of the terminals are reliably connected to the conductive elements of the test fixture.
A socket is typically used to interface IC contacts to a test fixture. A socket may have a plastic body, metal contacts, and a metal lever or latch to temporary secure the IC to the socket—physically securing the IC under test, as well as causing an electrical connection between all the IC pins and the socket.
A test fixture may consist of an array of switch pairs, where one switch connects a single signal trace to a single power trace and the other switch connects the signal trace to a single ground trace. Multiple switch pairs are used to connect all signal traces to independent power and ground traces. Typically, the sockets make electric connections to all the device pins simultaneously. Automation of the process requires a relay/relay driver circuit for each device pin.
Conventionally, the test fixture uses a socket designed for the specific pin count and physical spacing of the package pins. However, these test fixture are often custom made and, therefore, expensive. Further, a test facility may require a multiplicity of sockets and interface boards for a large variety of package types. Finally, because of the cost of socket interfaces, it becomes prohibitively expensive to upgrade the electrical components of the test fixture, to support complicated test algorithms such as curve tracing.
Testing may be supported through the use of a conventional curve tracer. Without a socket, however, hand probing of each pair of device pins is required, which does not lend itself to efficient automated data collection on high pin count packages. A clip-on mechanism with a hook-shaped wire is known to be used in connecting to individual IC contacts. However, the spring loading is within a rigid plastic housing that is too large to fit in the spaces between the BGA rows. Alternately, micromanipulators with needle probes must be used.
It would be advantageous if a socketless test fixture could measure the electrical performance of IC contacts using a conventional curve tracer.